Rear bump stops

[WXman]

I noticed that on this 4R the rear bumpstop is very close to the spring perch. There's maybe 1 to 1.5" of clearance before the bumpstop makes contact. This obviously has to be killing the down travel of the rear suspension. Even when I hit a dip in the highway I can feel the rear end go "bump".

Is this normal?

I'm thinking about shaving off some of the rear bumpstop so the coil spring and shock can actually do it's job.

 

[ebg18t]

I noticed that on this 4R the rear bumpstop is very close to the spring perch. There's maybe 1 to 1.5" of clearance before the bumpstop makes contact. This obviously has to be killing the down travel of the rear suspension. Even when I hit a dip in the highway I can feel the rear end go "bump".

Is this normal?

I'm thinking about shaving off some of the rear bumpstop so the coil spring and shock can actually do it's job.

That doesn't sound right. It actually seems like your rear springs may have sagged over the years.

 

[gaterose]

Do you or did you have the rear air suspension?

[MENTION=44866]ARK_SWAMP_RIDER[/MENTION] had the same problem when he switched to the metal tech long travel rear.

Turns out the rear air bump stop is much longer than the coil bump stop, I suppose to help support the air bag with heavy loads that would cause a lot of sagging.

 

[WXman]

No, this one is a Limited model that came with XREAS but did not come with RAS. I noticed that the bumpstop was very close to the rear spring perch when I bought it at just a tick past 100,000 miles. I installed Daystar spacers in the rear, but I didn't realize that the bumpstop is a part of the rear factory isolator between the frame and spring, so obviously the distance between the bumpstop and spring perch did not change any with the installation of the Daystar spacers.

I guess I'll trim some of the bumpstop off because I don't want new coils right now.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

The RAS bump stops were never an issue until I installed the 3" bump stop drops included in the MT kit. I was essentially dropping them 5". Are you running any type of lift? Something doesn't sound right, you should have more clearance than that. If you can post a pic of your bump stop.

EDIT: are you talking about the bump stops or the isolator that goes inside the rear coil?

 

[WXman]

I'm talking about the ones inside the rear coil. These are similar to all the other bump stops I've had on previous 4x4s. I didn't realize until today that there are other bump stops on the frame.

 

[mitch.millot417]

Hey WXman, i was just wonderin if you ever fixed your thumping? I had/still have the same issue. I always just assumed i needed new suspension but after far too long i finally got around to doing it and only gained about 1 to 1.5 inches. It helped the noise but didn't even get close to fixing it completely. I replaced both the rear coil springs and rear shocks at the same time and even though i racked my brain, i have no idea what would make the car drop down or continue to sag like that. ANY IDEAS ANYONE, I'M COMPLETELY STUCK and its horrible listenin to my baby get beat on ALL DAY EVERY DAY. PLEASE HELP ANYONE! Thanks

 

[WXman]

Every time I go to cut the bump stops I end up second guessing myself. I just don't understand why Toyota engineers designed it this way...maybe there is something I'm not seeing. Maybe they intended for them to be so close to bottoming out on purpose. Who knows? It's not a major problem...so for now I haven't cut anything.

 

[morphious]

I cut the first section off my coil bump stops off months ago to gain clearance and haven't had any issues. From my understanding it depends on the rear spacer used to gain the clearance in the bump stops, if FJ spacers are used they place the coil bump stop in the stock location but if 4runner spacers are used it automatically gives you the additional clearance in the stops. FJ spaces install spacer, bump stop, coils while 4runner spacers install bump stop, spacers, coils thus moving the coils lower.

 

[mitch.millot417]

Hey all, still a little confused on what might be wrong. So to be clear, i got my runner with 85,000 on it but the banging didn't start until about 170-180,000 mi. It started just a little and got to be a harder and louder bumping over time. Also, as time went on, the clearance between the bump stops (the ones inside the coil spring) and the axle became smaller and smaller. Like i said, i assumed it was the springs sagging so i replaced both rear springs and both rear shocks. It lessened the banging by what i estimate was about 20% but definitely didn't fix it or really even change it. I guess what i'm asking is, what else can be worn out that would be making it drop down that far? Because unless gravity is just getting stronger, i'm totally baffled. Thanks anyone for your time and ideas if you have any

 

[nevada]

I just checked, mine are also about 2" away. but, I haven't noticed anything odd when hitting bumps. its nice and smooth.

with the shape of the bump stop, its clear that it is designed to run close, and to be used as part of the suspension.